Why Medea With Child?

January 29th, 2010

Sideshow is incredibly excited about Medea With Child, our production which opens March 14th at La Costa Theatre.

As a new staff member, I wasn’t around for the season selection process last year. I asked some Sideshow Staffers:  ”Why Medea With Child?”

According to Staffer Matt: “This was a chance to work with a world-class playwright and author, Janet Burroway!”

Staffer Megan agreed: “With this script, I have had the luxury of meeting the playwright before reading it.  Janet met both Jonathan and I at a Director/Playwright Exchange networking event, where even before reading the script, I was able to hear Janet talk about her play. Her deep level of passion and her sense of humor and playfulness already seemed like a nice fit for Sideshow.”

Janet Burroway is a Pulitzer Prize nominee, and Sideshow is producing the Chicago premiere of her play, Medea with Child.

Matt is also excited about the Chicago impact of this production.  ”Medea With Child is Sideshow ‘steppin out’, by really digging into the artist base in Chicago and finding new talent and making new connections with the actors and designers in Chicago.”

Actors who would appreciate the script as much as Sideshow.

Megan added: “I really enjoyed the characters, who are all extremely different, clearly defined, and very meaty. I thought immediately that this script could draw in a nice pool of actors who could really sink their teeth into the script and produce some awesome work.”

Sideshow has a mission, so how does this play fit into our “Familiar Stories. Unorthodox Methods. Perpetually Curious.” identity?

Megan:  ”A play that riffs on the Medea myth in a very unorthodox way – as a modern, edgy and slightly creepy comedy with musical numbers, I think it fit Sideshow’s mission well. Once I got to dig into the script, I was struck by how the story made me feel, as I tried to visualize it unfolding in my mind… it was a visceral reaction. I was drawn to this emotional connection, as well as the heightened level of theatricality and wittiness of the script. I felt that combination of emotional depth and the striking, unusual visual demands of the script made a good fit for Sideshow’s continually building aesthetic.”

Matt agreed: “It fits beautifully into the mission of Sideshow.”

Well put from both parties, well put.